Tractor hitch



Jim? 4' 1927' w. E. SCHINITGERQ TRACTOR HITCH Filed Sept. '1, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet l .mblaa'fjoaf m ATTORNEY an 1927. l 632 509 J 8 w. E. SCHNITGER TRACTOR HITCH Filed Sept. 1, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 izr ar/wzi k ATTO R N EY J 'P ai 192 7i" a 5 J; aww ewe v f -A pplication n1edSepteinher 1, 1926. SerialfNQi r The-object of iin-vention' isl to provide a tractor hitchiby meansiof whichthe draw bar, when released manually o from 'ajlocking position, will be shifted automaticallyv to the other: side of-i'the'machine1, when mak ng a "turnattheendofarow. i 1 ,7 A further object is to provide a deviceof this type which shall include anarm adapted for pivotal connectionwith the outer end of the draw bar, said armmounting a frame of loop form, extending lengthwise of, the arm,

and having anarrow end thru which a re taining and releasing, pin projects, when in the locking: position, the pin bein movable alongside of the arm,permitting s ifting of i within-thescope of the claim withoutdeparting from thespirit of the invention.

In thedrawings forming part of this application,

' Figure 1 shows diagrammatically the change of position of the tractor hitch when the tractor makes turn at the endof a row of trees in anorchard, or under any similar Figure 2 is a nlan view, showing a portion of atractor, or the rear wheels thereof, in

' dotted lines, and showing in e111 7 lines a draw barco'ntrolled by the attachment'here in described-and movable automatically, when the locking means are released, to the dotted line position.

.Figure 3 is a planview of theattachment per sei" Figure 4 ISZtVlGW in edge elevation, of the structure'of Figure 3; the position of the draw bar of FigureQbeing illustrated, and a e of the device for eifecting direct connection a with the machine to be drawn.

I Figure 5 isa view invertica-l 560M011 and elevation, showmgthe-mount1ng of the vertical rotatablereleasing'pin or stem, which appears in horizontal section at the left of Figure 3. a 1 a In Figure l the machine to be drawn is shown conventionallyand is designated 10,

' a tractor is 'designatedv12, the rearwheels j being illustrated at 13, and the latter also beshown-in dotted lines in Figure 2;

Assuming ,thatt thefltractor ,is makingja i iturn between the rows, or at'the end of the i row 111 an orchard the trees attheends of i two adjacent ro'wsfbeing illustratedat l5 andf16, then theftractor moves from theipoat the rightthereof', and in so doingthehitch sition at the left of Figure l to the position shiftsautomatically from the positionshownj "at 17 :to'itheposition shown atj18.- Thisop V 65, 7 r .i is released manually, in themannerin'd-icated eration-takes placewhen the locking device.

I The "draw, bar 20 has 'connectionby means of a p r l 21mm the draftebar 22 adapted for direct connection with [the g. chlne'tobe drawn. .Bolt 21 also passes thru,

anaperture 23 in olfset bracket 24,and the latter carrles a baror arm 25, o'f such length that the vertical shaft, stem or locking-pin is at the end 'of bar 25 when the draw bar is at-the extreme left or extreme right;

tions;

in Figure 2, these beinglthe locking: posi- Arm is movable angularly about the;

pivot or-bolt 21, and a spring 26 has an off set end 2' Z projecting intoor thru bar 25, I the opposlte end of the spring being fixed, and said element 26 constituting a centering spring;

A frame or loop member 30"has anarrow end portion, projecting beyond the end of arm 25, so that stem 31 may pass -thru\the space within the end portion of. the loop, at r i the end of arm 25. Stem 31 carries a wheel 7 32, and'its lower end is rotatably mounted in' a transverse element 33, the stem also having a hearing at 34a. Transverse member r 33 is connected at 35 and 36 with opposite portions of a U-frame 37,:the latter being suspended from transverse member" 38. Moderate changes ln the manner of mounting these parts may bemade, within the scope of ferent makes. a

the c 'laim in order to meet the conditions 1 existing in connection withtractorsof dif- The rotation of wheel'32and stem 3l, the

latter being in contact with the endof arm 25, tends to produce the movementto the a dotted line position of Figure 3, so that the i frame 30, mounted atone end bymeans of pin or bolt 39, provides a space on one'side or the other of arm 25, and the attachment then has sufficient play with reference to stem 31, to permit of the necessary reduction in distance between the pivoted endportions i a of the attachment to permit the draw bar 20 to shift from the full line position of Figure 2 to the dotted line position in that View.

This movement, of the draw bar from oneside of the machine to the other, as indicated in Figure 2, takes place automatically when the tractor makes the turn at the end ofthe row, provided that the elements are moved, by turning Wheel 32 and stem 81 so that locking engagement, illustrated in full lines in Figure 3, may terminate, and the parts caused to assume the release position.

Having described the invention What is claimed is V In a device of the class described, adraw bar, a spring held arm pivoted at one end to the draw bar and connected therewith, the arm being movable in a horizontal plane, a stem circular in cross section and rotatable about an axis perpendicular to the arm and engaging the end of the latter, and a retaining, and guiding device having one end partly surroundingthe stem, and having its other end secured, said guiding device normally holding the end of the arm in locking engagement with the stem, and the arm being movable by the stem and along side of the latter to release position.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature.

WILLIAM E. 'SCHNITGER. 

